Date sent: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 07:45:03 -0600
Send reply to: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology
<[log in to unmask]>
From: Rett Thorpe <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Requeening Issue
To: [log in to unmask]
> All this talk of requeening has got me thinking I should requeen my two
> hives that are both two years old, however, I am recluctant to do it now
> because of the conditions here. I live along the Wasatch front in Utah,
> and due to a late spring my bees are just now really getting going, so I
> don't want to disrupt my chance of getting a decent harvest this year.
> My question is, can you requeen in the spring? My books all say to do
> it in the fall, but they don't really get into the reasons that this is
> the preferred time.
You can, but, there is more chance of a hive failing in the winter with an older
queen. Winter is a very stressful time for bees, and older queens just can't cut
it.
Before we adopted a 'new' attitude regarding requeening we lost a
number of hives every year. Then we noticed an amount of newly emerged
queen cells in the deadouts, cells which were made over the winter. We
surmised that the old queen failed, a new one was tried but off course not
mated.
So now, no messing. Unless we need her genetics and are prepared to
gamble, all 2 year old queens get squished and replaced. Guess how many
hives we lose to winterkill now? None!
As to a lose of harvest. You've already got the bees to make
the harvest. From here on in the new queen will be laying eggs for late summer
or winter bees so therefore requeening has little impact on the harvest.
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The Bee Works, 9 Progress Drive, Unit 2,
Orillia, ON, Canada.
Phone- 705-326 7171. Fax 705 325 3461.
North American agents. E.H.Thorne(UK)Ltd.
Ventilated Hives and Equipment
David Eyre... Owner
http://www.muskoka.net/~beeworks
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